'Bachelor's Jasmine G. Is Connected To Sports

Perennial second-place finisher Nick Viall is finally getting a chance to be the man of the hour as the next season's Bachelor, and the women competing to be his bride have been announced, along with some of their predictably kooky listed professions. So what basketball team does Bachelor contestant Jasmine G. dance for? This Bachelor newcomer has listed her profession as "Basketball Dancer." And since she's from San Francisco that's actually a major clue.

Nick will get to choose from among a whopping 30 women this time around, all young and beautiful and with varied tastes and interests. There are a few nurses, one unemployed, as well as a doula. There's also a flight attendant, an aspiring model, and animal trainers, both aspiring and otherwise. Jasmine G. appears to be the only basketball dancer. And after some digging I discovered that she is a professional dancer for the Golden State Warriors, where according to the team's website, she is in her first year. But she's hardly a newbie when it comes to being on a dance squad. Before dancing for the Warriors, she was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader as well as a dancer for the New York Jets. While most cheerleaders and NBA dancers aren't exactly rolling in the dough, it looks like Jasmine has worked hard to make it a full-time type of thing. And after all, it's how the inimitable Paula Abdul got her start in show business.

Most NBA dancers earn between $50 to $100 per game, depending on team prestige and the level of the dancer herself. Dancers may also earn additional income from public appearances, which pay more, but it's hardly ever consistent. Many dancers have second part-time jobs. The demands of being an NBA dancer can also be extremely time-consuming and stressful. Dancers are required to maintain their physical appearance and appear at every practice and rehearsal, which doesn't really leave much time for other things. If nothing else, Jasmine G. must have a pretty intense work ethic. Perhaps The Bachelor will help her launch a celebrity career (but of course suggesting this would be to suggest that she's not there for the "right reasons" so maybe not).

Some other fascinating things to learn about Jasmine from her bio are that if she could have lunch with any three people it would be RuPaul, Dave Chapelle, and Prince, where they would eat pizza. Honestly, this is a lunch date I would love to attend. She also has excellent taste in movies — A League of Their Own, The Sandlot, and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead are her favorites. And if she won the lottery the first thing she would buy are socks, which makes her pretty much my soulmate. Except for that whole crazy dancing schedule. I could never do that.